The Who's Tommy
May 30-June 1, June 5-8 & 13-15, 2008

Dramaturgy by Ross Harmon
The Barn Players Present | Cast | Who are you? All about The Who | The Who's Tommy: Background | Pete Townshend | Des McAnuff | The Who at Shawnee Mission South High School | Pinball: A Semi-Historical Timeline | Tommy and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

The Who's Tommy


Book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff
Music and Lyrics by Pete Townshend
Additional Music and Lyrics by John Entwistle and Keith Moon
Directed by Don Carlton
Musical Direction by Darin Parker
May 30-June 1, June 6-8, 13-15, 2008
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:00pm
Produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International
Originally Produced on Broadway by Pace Theatrical Group and Dodger Productions with Kardana Productions.
The Rock Opera TOMMY, which was first performed by The Who in 1969, was originally conceived by Peter Townshend and Kit Lambert with contributions to the development by John Entwistle, Keith Moon and Roger Daltrey

A smash-hit on both sides of the Atlantic, Pete Townshend's tale of a deaf, mute and blind pinball player who becomes an international messiah, based upon the chart-topping 1969 rock opera, now hits the Barn Players stage in the most electrifying evening of rock and roll ever to play in a theatre!

After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia, and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors. As an adolescent, he’s discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar.

Cast

Production Staff

Don Carlton - Director
Rebekah Greib - Assistant Director
Darin Parker - Music Director
Cat Larrison - Choreographer
D.K. Evenson - Stage Manager
Abby Stranathan - Assistant Stage Manager
Brian Lechner - Set Design
Craig McCann - Lighting Design
Sean Leistico - Sound and Video Design
Amy Eisele - Properties Design
Renee Purtee - Costume Design
Jennie Williams - Costume Assistant
Dan Barbuto - Lead Carpenter
Kristina Banton, Skip Gordon - Running Crew
Alex Morales - Graphic Art

The Who's That

Darin Parker - Conductor
Evan White - Keyboard I
Casey Carl - Keyboard II
Kevin Hershberger - Keyboard III
Jessi Fazio - French Horn
Sean Hogge - Guitar
William Wright - Bass
Tom Curry - Percussion

Special Thanks for their assistance in this production to:

Harvest Productions, Jim Lane and Johnson County Community College, Victor Dougherty and Olathe North High School, Olathe Community Theatre Association, Gorman Animal Clinic

Who are you? All about The Who

The Who THE WHO were an English rock band that formed in 1964. The primary original lineup consisted of Pete Townshend (guitar), Roger Daltrey (vocals), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums). The band is regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 70s, and is widely recognized as one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time.

The Who rose to fame in the United Kingdom with a pioneering instrument destruction stage show, as well as a series of top ten hit singles (including the celebrated "My Generation") and top five albums, beginning in 1965 with I Can't Explain. They first hit the top ten in the USA in 1967 with "I Can See for Miles.” The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top five albums for the group in the USA, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), and Who Are You (1978) among others.

Drummer Keith Moon died in 1978, after which the band released two more studio albums, the top five Face Dances (1981) and the top ten It's Hard (1982), before officially disbanding in 1983. They reformed on several occasions to perform at special events such as Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour (1989) and the Quadrophenia revival tours of 1996 and 1997.

In 2000, the three surviving original members began to discuss the possibility of recording an album of new material. These plans were delayed following the death of John Entwistle in 2002. In 2006 Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey released the studio album Endless Wire, which reached the top ten in the USA and UK.

The Who's Tommy: Background

TOMMY was the first of The Who's full-scale rock operas, and the first musical work explicitly billed as a rock opera. In some older publications it is called TOMMY : 1914–1984. Released in 1969, the opera was composed by Who guitarist Pete Townshend, with two tracks contributed by Who bassist John Entwistle. The album (according to Who vocalist Roger Daltrey), was recorded in just 9 weeks.

When TOMMY was released, the critics were split between those who thought the album was a masterpiece, the beginnings of a new genre, and those that felt it was "sick" and exploitative because of its dark theme. Ultimately, the album became a huge commercial success, as did The Who's frequent live performances of the rock opera in the following years, elevating The Who to a new level of prestige and international stardom.

Although it is conventionally described as a rock opera, TOMMY could be more accurately described as a "rock cantata" or a "rock song cycle." The tracks "Overture", "Pinball Wizard", "I'm Free", and the "See Me, Feel Me/Listening to You" reprise were released as singles and got a decent amount of airplay. "Pinball Wizard" reached the top twenty in the U.S. and the top five in the UK, and was a hit for Elton John in 1975/76. The album/cd of TOMMY was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.

The child abuse that features so prominently in the story caused a good deal of outcry when the record was first released. It has also often been claimed that the basic idea of the TOMMY story was lifted from The Pretty Things' 1968 concept album S.F. Sorrow, and Townshend himself later admitted that he listened to the Pretty Things LP extensively and that it was a major inspiration for TOMMY.

In 1975 TOMMY was adapted as a film directed by maverick British auteur Ken Russell. The movie version starred Roger Daltrey as Tommy, and featured an eclectic supporting cast including Hollywood legend Ann-Margret as Tommy's mother, Oliver Reed as the boyfriend, with cameo appearances by Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Arthur Brown and Jack Nicholson. Townshend reworked the storyline extensively for the film, fleshing out much that was obscure in the original version, and moving the time frame forward to a more believable era, the period following World War II.

The original theatrical stage production of the classic rock score of The Who’s Tommy premiered during the summer of 1992 at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. The band’s name was added to the show title to establish itself as a separate work. McAnuff and Townshend sculpted the kaleidoscopic concept album into a stage show with a linear story. Townshend added the song "I Believe My Own Eyes" especially for the Broadway version. Broadway's Tommy was among the first Broadway shows to combat high ticket prices by offering enticements such as free CDs, t-shirts, and souvenir programs. The show opened at the St. James Theatre on April 22, 1993 and closed on June 18, 1995.

The New York Times said in their review: "It has a thrilling score, eye-popping stage and visual effects, and a secure place in the memory of the baby-boomers every Broadway entrepreneur would love to draw. Tommy, the hopeful buzz goes, will be the show that finally brings Broadway into the rock era, ending the generation gap that makes so many Broadway shows the province of tourists and the elderly. The new Tommy, created with the 47-year-old Mr. Townshend's participation, may represent the older man's ideas of what's most important in adult life. Regardless, the new Tommy, is a nostalgia trip offering familiar music to an audience that grew up with it: business as usual built on a rock opera that once promised more."

Trivia: Bassist John Entwistle claimed that he had never actually listened to the album because he was so sick of it after the endless takes and re-takes.

Pete Townshend

Pete Townshend PETE TOWNSHEND (Writer/Adaptation) was born in London in 1945, and grew up in a typical middle-class home. His parents, Cliff and Betty Townshend, were both musicians, and as a child he accompanied them on dance band tours. Townshend started playing guitar at age 12. After several stints in local semi-professional bands as a teenager, he formed the rock group The Who in 1963. They soon established themselves as the ultimate, violent anti-establishment band, gaining notoriety for ear-splitting live performances, wrecking hotel rooms, and generally leaving havoc everywhere they went.

As the group's mastermind and main songwriter, Townshend established himself as an eminent musical auteur and the thinking man's rock guitarist after penning now legendary concept albums as Tommy, and Quadrophenia, which combined the energy of rock n' roll with the orchestral and thematic ambitions of opera.

The 1980's found Townshend struggling with his identity as an aging rock godfather, fighting drug problems and having increasing hearing troubles. In 1989, he roared back with a 25th anniversary tour of The Who, later a Broadway revival of Tommy (a Tony winner) and several other ambitious musical, theater and film projects – most notably the stage and film versions of Ted Hughes children’s classic The Iron Giant.

Townsend's haunting lyrics and songs have been used on the soundtrack of countless motion pictures and television series. CBS’s hit forensic drama CSI is themed by Townshend and the Who.

Pete Townsend indeed stands out as one of rock music's most gifted and influential artists who has despite being forever tied to the rebellious image of his youth, has decided to somehow age gracefully as one of rock’s elder statesman.

Des McAnuff

Des McAnuff DES MCANUFF (Adaptation) born June 19, 1952 in Princeton, Illinois). He is the Tony award-winning director of such hit Broadway musicals as Big River and The Who's Tommy. He has also produced Tony award-winning revivals of Broadway classics such as Guys and Dolls, The Music Man, Into the Woods, 42nd Street, and many others.

A resident of the United States, he is a citizen of both the USA and Canada. He was raised in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto. In high school he wrote the music and lyrics to a rock musical called Urbania, which was performed by the high school drama club. He then worked with the Toronto Free Theatre as a director, and after several plays that had limited success, he left for New York City. There, McAnuff co-founded the Dodger Theatre Company in 1978, where he also directed the first production, entitled Gimme Shelter. He has directed for the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard, Yale Rep, and is a former faculty member of Juilliard.

McAnuff was Artistic Director of the La Jolla Playhouse, from 1983 to 2007, during which time the theatre won more than 200 awards. McAnuff turned over his leadership of the playhouse in 2007 in order to take a position of leadership at Canada's Stratford Festival.

McAnuff won Broadway's Tony Award as Best Director (Musical) in 1985 for Big River and in 1993 for The Who's Tommy. He was nominated again in 2006 for Best Director of a Musical, for Jersey Boys, based on the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Though he did not win, the production went on to win Best Musical that year.

McAnuff is married to actress Susan Berman and they are the parents of Julia Violet, born in 1990. They married in 1984 and the ceremony took place on the La Jolla Playhouse stage.

1967: The Who at Shawnee Mission South High School

Yes, it did happen.

The Who at Shawnee Mission South HS in 1967

A pre-fame Who did play locally in concert at Shawnee Mission South. Second billed behind The Buckinghams, here is the student newspaper touting their appearance. Their approximate set list included: I Can't Explain, Substitute, A Quick One While He's Away, Boris The Spider, Run Run Run, Mary Ann With The Shaky Hands, Sunrise, Summertime Blues, and My Generation.

Pinball: A Semi-Historical Timeline

Tommy and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Originally thought to have a form of autism, the lead character of Tommy (in the same titled rock opera), now appears to suffer from a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a reaction to the troubling events that scar his young life.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to one or more terrifying events in which grave physical harm has occurred or was threatened. It is a severe and ongoing emotional reaction to an extreme psychological trauma. This stress usually involves a threat to physical or psychological integrity to such a degree that usual psychological defenses are incapable of coping. PTSD was referred to in the past as shell shock and traumatic war neurosis.

Traumatic events that may cause PTSD symptoms to develop include: violent assault, kidnapping, torture, being held hostage, being a prisoner of war or concentration camp victim, experiencing a disaster, bad car accidents or getting a diagnosis of a lifethreatening illness. In Tommy’s case, it is witnessing the murder of his Father. In one study, it has been shown that child abuse increases the risk of PTSD in adults.

Basic counseling for PTSD includes education about the condition and safety and support. Cognitive therapy shows good results, and group therapy may be helpful in reducing isolation and social stigmas. The psychotherapy programs with the strongest demonstrated efficacy are all cognitive behavioral programs and include variants of exposure therapy. Utilizing exposure therapy involves assisting trauma survivors to therapeutically confront their distressing trauma-related memories directly. Most exposure therapy programs include both imagined confrontation with the traumatic memories and real-life exposure to reminders of the trauma.

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